I blog here and there.

Colour & Marketing

Almost time to call it a night, but I do a last round of social media check-ins : Twitter, Facebook, Podio, and WordPress. In that order.

Wow, that’s a lot of blue.

Light blue, dark blue, medium blue, blue blue blue.

So I decided to have a look into why the biggest platforms have steered towards the same colour. According to theories in colour psychology, blue creates feelings of calmness or serenity. Research shows that blue conveys trust and loyalty, and even productivity. Here’s an infographic below:

In fact, colour has a huge impact on what we buy and how we buy it.

Red, orange black, and royal blue attract the impulse shoppers. Think of McDonald’s brand colouring : gold and red. This is no accident, as many fast food restaurants, outlet malls, and clearance sales are found with these colours.

Navy blue and teal attract shoppers on a budget, and are found in larger department stores. Think of Old Navy, targeting a population that is seeking nice yet affordable clothing. Their name gives it away!

Here is a more in depth infographic of what the colours portray in North American culture:

Colour is able to affect you emotionally and psychologically. When colour plays such an important role in our lives, it is no doubt that companies want to select the right shade and hue that will optimize our usage of their product or service.

Perhaps it makes sense for the social media giants to have chosen blue.